Ongoing research project |

2012 - 2016

ImagineS is a collaborative project funded by the European Union. Its research and development work will support the Copernicus Global Land Service that started providing pre-operational monitoring products over land in 2014. ImagineS builds on and continues the research and development initiated in the geoland2 project to prepare for exploiting the future ESA Sentinel data in the Copernicus operational phase beyond 2014.

ImagineS is also favouring the emergence of new downstream activities dedicated to monitoring crop and fodder production.

Main objectives

To build a prototype of a global biosphere monitoring service. This will use an original method to assess the vegetation biomass based on the assimilation of satellite products in regional or global Land Data Assimilation System infrastructures. It will enable users to monitor crop/fodder production and carbon and water fluxes.

To develop qualified software able to process multi-sensor data at the global scale on a fully automatic basis.

To demonstrate the added value of this agriculture service for a users acting at global, European, national, and regional scales.

Role of ECMWF

ECMWF is continuing the exploratory work on satellite biosphere dataset started within the geoland2 project and related to vegetation state (Leaf Area Index, LAI) and global surface albedo. Assimilating LAI and albedo in the offline Land Data Assimilation System and improving vegetation modelling (including radiation component for FaPAR/albedo computation) hold promise to enhance the capacity of monitoring and modelling the Earth surface both in past reanalysis and in near-real time. An important added value of ImagineS is provided by the research and development activities needed for the evolution of the operational Copernicus Global Land Service.